Rivière Betsiamites
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Rivière Betsiamites Bersimis |
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 The catchment area of the Rivière Betsiamites |
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| Data | ||
| location | Côte-Nord in Québec (Canada) | |
| River system | Saint Lawrence River | |
| Drain over | Saint Lawrence River → Atlantic Ocean | |
| source |
Lac Manouanis ( Mont-Valin ) 50 ° 45 ′ 10 " N , 70 ° 19 ′ 20" W |
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| muzzle | in the St. Lawrence River at the First Nation settlement Betsiamites Coordinates: 48 ° 56 ′ 0 ″ N , 68 ° 37 ′ 20 ″ W 48 ° 56 ′ 0 ″ N , 68 ° 37 ′ 20 ″ W |
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| Mouth height |
0 m
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| length | 444 km (to the source of the Rivière Manouanis) | |
| Catchment area | 18,700 km² | |
| Drain |
MQ |
340 m³ / s |
| Reservoirs flowed through | Pipmuacan Reservoir | |
| Communities | Betsiamites | |
The Rivière Betsiamites (also Bersimis or English Betsiamites River ) is a river in the Canadian province of Québec . It is located in the Côte-Nord region and flows into the confluence of the Saint Lawrence River . The length of the river is 444 km, its catchment area covers 18,700 km², its mean discharge is 340 m³ / s.
geography
The river lies between the Rivière Saguenay and the Rivière aux Outardes . It begins at Lac Manouanis and flows into the settlement of Betsiamites , which is inhabited by the First Nation of the Innu and is located around 300 km northeast of the provincial capital Quebec . The 978 km² reservoir Réservoir Pipmuacan , dammed by the Bersimis-1 dam, is located about halfway along the course of the river. The Réservoir Bersimis-2 follows 30 km downstream , dammed up by the Bersimis-2 dam.
In the ecozone of the boreal shield located, the hinterland presented as a heavily wooded area with different types of conifers . These include black spruce ( Picea mariana ), balsam fir ( Abies balsamea ) and white spruce ( Picea glauca ). The valley is described as a "paradise for hunters and anglers", where "fish, elk , bears and other wild animals are abundant".
Hydropower
There are two hydropower plants on Rivière Betsiamites operated by Hydro-Québec :
- Bersimis 1 : 8 Francis turbines, 1178 MW ; built 1953–1956
- Bersimis-2 : 5 Francis turbines, 869 MW; built 1956–1959
history
The word Betsiamites or Pessamit comes from the Innu language and means "gathering place of the lampreys ". The name Bersimis was not known to either the Innu, the French or the French Canadians , but was first used in 1837 by the British Admiral Henry Wolsey Bayfield in the hydrography of the Saint Lawrence River, which he wrote. The Hudson's Bay Company took the name when it opened a trading post in 1855, followed by the Canadian Post six years later . After two decades of efforts, local residents and the provincial government succeeded in 1919 persuading the federal government to use the term Betsiamites . But the actually wrong name of Bersimi persisted in official documents and Hydro-Québec used it for the new hydropower plants in the region.
literature
- WJW McNaughton: Bersimis: The Development of a River . In: Canadian Geographical Journal . Royal Canadian Geographical Society, Ottawa 1960.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Natural Resources Canada, Atlas of Canada - Rivers
- ^ Province D - Les Laurentides centrales. In: Aires protégées au Québec - les provinces naturelles. Ministère du développement durable, de l'environnement et des parcs du Québec, 2002, accessed on March 13, 2012 (French).
- ^ McNaughton: Bersimis. P. 125.
- ^ McNaughton: Bersimis. P. 126.
- ↑ Pessamit. Commission de toponymie du Québec, accessed on March 13, 2012 (French).